Dublin hotels now cheapest in Europe

DUBLIN is now one of the cheapest capital cities to stay in Europe but Galway hotels are among the most expensive.

Hotel prices in Dublin and Cork plunged 20% in a year while Galway prices are double what they are in Las Vegas and Prague.

With hotels rooms costing an average e129 per night, Galway is more expensive than Paris, London and Barcelona.

Average room rates in Dublin are now e86 a night and in Cork e100.

Limerick prices increased 2% in the year to e76.

On average Irish hotel prices were down 17% to e89 in the last quarter of 2008 compared with the same period in 2007, according to the latest Hotels.com’s price index.

Ireland had the largest drop in hotel prices in the eurozone and the third biggest drop in Europe after Britain and Norway.

Chief executive of the Irish Hotels Federation John Power said hotel rates in Ireland are unlikely to fall further this year.

“The results of the survey are not surprising because prices are certainly down. Ireland is now up very high in the competitive stakes,” he said.

In Belfast room prices fell by more than a third to e102, the biggest fall in Britain and steeper than the British average decline of 24%.

The most expensive city in the world is Moscow, where hotel prices averaged at e231.

It was followed by Abu Dhabi at e224, where prices soared 24% in the year.

Dubai is the third most expensive city in the world at e202 a night, with New York in fourth place at e187.

One night’s stay in Las Vegas was e71, while the likes of Prague, Reykjavik, Bangkok and Tallinn all came in below e80.

In Spain, prices were down 12% in the year to e103 while the cost of a stay in a hotel in France was down 3% to e97.

President of Hotels.com David Roche said Dublin is now “remarkably good value” for travellers.

“A four-star hotel room in Dublin now averages at e78 per night, one of the cheapest four-star rates anywhere in the world and now cheaper than Cape Town or Madrid for a hotel of similar quality,” he said.

The index is based on prices paid by customers in 68,000 hotels in 12,500 locations worldwide.

The average price of a hotel room around the world fell by 12% last year.

Hotel prices in December last year were more than one tenth lower than they were the year before.

And room rates were just 1% above their level in January 2004, when the first ever such index was released.